Four police officers have been detained by the Federal Capital Territory Police Command for allegedly extorting 53 thousand naira from the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, Dr Musa Aliyu during an illegal stop-and-search operation in Abuja.
The FCT Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Sanusi, disclosed this on Monday while briefing journalists in Abuja
He described the officers as thieves who had no business wearing the police uniform.
According to him, the officers mounted an unauthorized checkpoint around the Banex area of Wuse after leaving their respective duty posts and extorted the ICPC chairman without knowing his identity.
He said the ICPC boss was forced to withdraw 53 thousand naira through a POS operator to give to the officers which they shared among themselves.
The Police Commissioner said investigations revealed that the officers had abandoned their designated duty posts and formed a gang that mounted an illegal checkpoint to extort motorists.
Ajao said the command declared the officers wanted before arresting their gang leader, whose confession led to the arrest of the other members of the syndicate.
The commissioner reiterated that the Inspector-General of Police had prohibited indiscriminate search of citizens’ mobile phones by officers on patrol.
He advised residents to refuse any unlawful demand by policemen to search their phones on the roadside and immediately report such incidents through the police emergency lines.